The goal of this update in hospice and palliative care is to identify, summarize, and critique journal articles published (electronically or in print) between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 with the highest potential for impact on the clinical practice of hospice and palliative care. We began with a hand search of 21 leading medical journals as well as a keyword search in PubMed using the terms "hospice" and "palliative care." We also hand-searched the Co-chrane Database of Systematic Reviews1 and Fast Article Critical Summaries for Clinicians in Palliative Care.2 Articles were reviewed and ranked based on study quality, scientific merit, and potential for immediate impact on the field of hospice and palliative care. The purpose of this article is to inform clinicians across a broad range of topics, including: spiritual and psychosocial care; palliative care for special populations (pediatrics and geriatrics); symptom management; and clinician self care. Changes to practice resulting from the articles reviewed are summarized in Table 1.
展开▼
